What Does Microsoft Stand to Gain From its $26.2 Billion Acquisition of LinkedIn?

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Microsoft announced today that it bought LinkedIn in a $26.2 billion deal, the tech giant’s largest acquisition in its 41-year history by a wide margin. So what value does Microsoft see in the professional social networking site?

LinkedIn CEO Jeff Weiner, who is staying on in his role and will report to Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella, wrote in an open letter to his employees that the plan is „to operate LinkedIn as a fully independent entity within Microsoft, a model used with great success by companies like YouTube, Instagram and WhatsApp.“